Innovate LC-1 and Error 8... SUCCESS!!!

[jondee86]

So yeah... having a bit of a problem with the Innovate LC-1 Wideband
and DB Gauge kit. Have it wired up, plugged in and running, but getting
Error 8 after just a couple of minutes. Prior to the gauge freezing, it is
working fine with good numbers.

Doesn't matter if I let the car idle, or start and drive away. Also get it if
I have been out for a drive, and let the car idle for any length of time, as
in getting out to open the garage door !!!

It is possible to clear the error with multiple re-calibrations and switching
the engine off and on a few times, but hardly good enough, and shouldn't
have to do that with a brand new piece of kit. So if anyone has sorted a
cure/discovered a cause for this Error 8 carryon, I'd love to hear about it.

Cheers... jondee86

[jondee86]

No-one wrestled with one of these ?? I'm gonna try a full recalibration
this weekend (heater and sensor)... and hope that cures it

Cheers... jondee86

[ChaosAD]

Ive got one and havent had any problems with it.
Is it the lc1 or gauge giving problems?
Do you have an led connected to the lc1?

[QikStarlie]

error 8 is a heater error from memory. sensor is getting to hot or cold. or sensor is stuffed. if you happened to drop it at will break the ceramics. doesnt take much to stuff a sensor. but usually reads ok till you have high exhaust flow then will throw an error.

where in exhaust is it installed?

id try recalibrate if you haven't already, then another sensor if that doesnt help, if its installed in the correct location of course

[jondee86]

Got the button and the LED wired up. When it is working, everything is
doing exactly what I would expect it to do. When it craps out, the gauge
usually freezes at 15.0 or thereabouts, and the LED gives me the eight
flash routine.

I'm of the opinion that both the sensor and the gauge are OK, as I don't
see any bogus readings. But the LC-1 seems to be super sensitive to
having the calibrations done right. Maybe I did something not quite right
on the initial setup, so I'll disconnect everything, and force a full heater
and sensor calibration.

I'll pull the sensor out of the manifold, as I read somewhere that it can
make a difference to doing it with the sensor in the manifold We have
a lot of hills around here, so it is easy to do sensor calibrations during
fuel cut on a downhill stretch.

As far as I know, the gauge is just a dumb gauge, and the error 8
belongs to the LC-1.... right ??

Cheers... jondee86

[2LTR Rona]

Have a read of this thread if you havent already

http://www.innovatemotorsports.com/foru ... 1f7&t=4286

seems others have experianced the same as you

[jondee86]

Yup... read all the threads that deal with error 8 and similar problems
on the Innovate site. Essentially, Innovate don't admit to any firmware
problems with the LC-1, although I notice they do accept quite a few
back for repair or replacement

I installed my sensor in the stock O2 sensor position. And yes, I know
that it may not be the best place for it, but I did some high load runs
(long uphill WOT) and it did not throw an error. So I don't think the
sensor is getting too hot. In fact, if I let the car idle for two or three
minutes from a cold start, it will bring up an error, and that is definitely
not an overheating situation.

I'll have a play tomorrow, and see what happens.

Cheers... jondee86

[85AW20v]

Get a garage door opener - at least that will solve part of the problem!!

Is the O2 sensor a heated one? Could it be the opposite of overheating? Might be the O2 sensor is too cool when you're idling and the LC can't interpret the data it's getting. Just a thought.....

Edit: Just reread the thread and see that QikStarlie has already suggested this.

[jondee86]

Car had been sitting for a week, so I thought I would run it to give the
battery a bit of a charge. Started it up and got an error straight off the
bat !!! Let it run for a couple of minutes, and turned it off. Started it up
again and got an error after about 3 or 4 minutes idling.

Switched off and started it up again. This time idled for 10 minutes or
more and no error. Went out for a drive around and no error. Put it in
the garage and let it idle again. Still no error... the LC-1 and gauge are
working perfectly

Haven't done any recalibrations yet, but I will do when it cools down.
The only thing I noticed is that the LC-1 seems to like to do a sensor
warmup before startup (even when hot). This appears to implicated in
clearing/resetting the error. If I turn the engine off and on without
allowing the warmup countdown to complete, the error stays latched ?

Boring eh If you can't get enough of this stuff, standby for my next
post !!!!

Cheers... jondee86

[QikStarlie]

don't calibarte it in the exhaust . doesn't work very well. even if the engine has been off for ages or your on fuel cut overrun down a hill. take sensor out. do a heater calibrate. then do a free air calibrate. reinstall
but if its working ok most of the time probably isn't a calibration issue, but worth a try

it maybe getting too cold. i'd weld on a bung in the location they recommend between 10-2 o-clock and a bit down the exhaust from engine. and make it so only the tip of the sensor pokes into the exhaust. which will let the sesnor heater do its job properly and wont effect reading.

[jondee86]

SUCCESS Well, at least so far

Did the full calibrate routine with the sensor out of the manifold, and
it fired up, idled and drove without throwing an error. Readings seem
to have improved a bit as well. Hot idle now hovers around stoich and
got a nice lope to the exhaust

@QikStarlie
I used the stock O2 sensor position in the OEM cast iron manifold, as
the WBO2 sensor is quite short, and the stock location keeps it out of
the main exhaust flow. Figured if I did have a problem with overheating,
I could always relocate down the exhaust somewhere.

Incidently, I researched WBO2 controllers before purchase, and even
though the LC-1 seemed to have a few problems, they rated as the best
available for under a thousand bucks. Just didn't realise they would be
quite so sensitive to installation and setup procedures !!

Cheers... jondee86

[QikStarlie]

thats why they are so good. other brands will just give the wrong reading if something is wrong. inovate stuff will usually give you an error.

[85AW20v]

You should still get that garage door opener though